Signal-operating device for telephone-circuits



(Model) W. H.- DAY. SIGNAL OPERATING DEVICE EOE TELEPHONE CIRCUITS.

No. 244,382. Patented July 19,1881.

Witnesses Q .Tfivento n N. ravens. Pbclo-Lil'mgnphlr. William D. c,

UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. DAY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNAL-OPERATING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE-CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,382, dated July 19, 1881.

Application filed May 16, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. DAY, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Signal- Operating Devices for Telephone Circuits, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention has for its object to produce an apparatus for automatically operating the signals of telephone-circuits, and is shown embodied in an apparatus especially intended to operate signals of the kind invented by me, for which Letters Patent No. 240,308, dated April 19, 1881, were granted. In the manipulation of this and similar signals it is necessary to give a number of impulses of a certain definite strength or polarity alternated with other impulses of a difierent strength or polarity, and it is desirable for the proper operation of the said signals that the impulses should be given with uniform rapidity. This requires strict attention and great care, accompanied with some skill on the part of the operator, all of which is rendered entirely unnecessary by the use of my automatic apparatus, in which it is only necessary to properly indicate the number of the station it is desired to signal, after whichlthe proper number of impulses, with the proper changes of character, will be produced with absolute uniformity.

Referring to the above-mentioned patent, it will be seen that in the operation of the signals a reversing-key was employed, and in starting the apparatus to sound a given signal an impulse of one polarity-for example, positive-is given to release a controlling device, after which a number corresponding to the number of the station to be signaled of actuating impulses of the other ornegative polarity is'given, to set the controlling device in position for the desired one to sound, and then another positive impulse-the same as used for starting-is applied to cause the desired bell to ring; and finally an indefinite number greater than the number of stations provided for of negative impulses are thrown on, actuating the controlling devices to carry them to their common starting-point,from which the chain of operations is begun. I

In my present inventiontwo circuit-closers (ModeL) corresponding in function to the reversingkeys are operated by mechanism actuated by a suitable power, as by a weight or spring. It

will be understood that it is necessary for the instrument to operate one of these circuitelosers-for example, the positive or starting one-at the beginning, in order to release the controlling mechanisms of the different signals,

and then to operate the negative, or it may be called actuating, key a definite number of times corresponding to the number of the station it is desired to call, to properly actuate the controlling mechanisms, and then to againv operate the positive key to ring the bell, thus counterfeiting or reproducing the steps before described as taken by the operator.

In the present embodiment of the invention a disk provided with suitable teeth to operate the actuating or negative circuit-closer as the said disk revolves is mounted on a shaft adapted to be rotated with uniform velocity by the motor, and provided with a stop-point to be engaged by a stop after the said disk has made a sufficient movement to actuate the said circuit-closer a number of times somewhat greater than the number of stations provided for in the controlling-disks of the signal devices, such as described in my said former patent, so that if the stop be disengaged and the toothed disk be allowed to rotate it will operate the circuitcloser to send a series of impulses, by which the controlling mechanism in the different signals will be moved around and brought to their common starting-point and then stopped.

As herein shown, the toothed disk is arranged to make a complete revolution, and its shaft is provided with a second disk having a single notch adapted to be en gagedby a projection on a pivoted stop-lever to stop the rotation of the disk. This stop-lever is disengaged from the said notch to allow the apparatus to start by a starting-key or push-button, the stem of which is arranged to engage and operate the positive or starting circuitcloser in its movement, by which the said stoplever-is operated, and it is not until the said locked and permitted torevolve, to operate by its teeth the other circuit-closer to send a series of negative impulses over thelina/Tlrus by simply operating the starting-key the instrument produces a single impulse of one polarity,followed by aseries of impulses of other polarity, as is needed. The toothed disk is provided with a series of stops corresponding to the different stations, which are normally placed so as not to interfere with the movement of the said disk, but which may be put in position to engage the starting or positive key, and when so placed will operate it and, with the toothed disk, he stopped by it, and consequently, by placing the station-stop corresponding to the station it is designed to signal in such position, and then starting the instrument as before described, the starting or positive impulse will be given, followed by the right number of negative impulses to set the signals in position for the desired one to sound, and then a continuous positive current will be left on the line to maintain the signal-bell in operation as long as desired, after which the operator, by replacing the said station-stop in its normal position, will permit the toothed disk to continue its rotation and bring all the signals to the unison-point,when the said disk is automatically stopped with neither circuitcloser engaged, and consequently with no current on the line.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a signal-operating apparatus embodying my invention, a part of the dial being broken away to show the toothed disk, and a part of the latter also being broken away to show the starting-key and a portion of the circuit-closers. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof, taken on a plane parallel with and just behind the toothed disk, with the inolosing-frame removed; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the toothed disk and connected dial and the circuit-closers Fig. 4, a detail showing, in rear elevation, the toothed disk and its stoppingmechanism; and Fig. 5, a detail showing the circuit-closers detached.

The circuit-wires are connected with the binding-posts 2 3 4 5, the ones 2 3 being connected with the positive and negative poles of the battery, respectively, and the former one, 2, of the posts is connected, as by wire 6, with the frame-work a and entire metallic portion of the apparatus which corresponds to the front stop or anvil of the usual reversing-keys, while the latter binding-post, 3, is connected by wire 7 with the metal stop I), insulated from the frame a and corresponding in function to the back strap of the usual reversing-keys. The binding-posts 4 5 are connected with the ground and line, respectively, and the former is connected by the wire 8 with the circuitcloser c and the latter by wire 9 with the circuit-closer 01, both mounted on a pivot, e, and insulated from the frame a, and normally held by springs f in contact with the metal stop b, they corresponding to the negative and positive keys, respectively, of the usual pair of reversing-keys. By this arrangement it will be seen that when either of these keys is brought into metallic connection with the frame a of the machine and removed from the metal stop I) an electric impulse of one or the other polarity, as the case may be, will be sent to the line connected with the binding-post 5, the operation being precisely analogous to that of the usual reversing-keys.

An actuating-disk, g, mounted upon a shaft, h, connected bya suitable train of gearing with an actuating motor, (shown as a spring, i,) is provided with teeth properly located to engage in the rotation of the said disk the arm 0 of the negative key a and turn the said key on its pivot to disconnect it from the metal stop I), the said disk 9 being itself of metal and in electrical connection with the frame-work a, so that when one of its teeth strikes the finger c it sends a negative impulse over the line, as just described.

A stop-disk, j, mounted on the shaft h, behind the actuating-disk g, is provided with a notch, 20, to receive a projection, 21, on the stop-lever is, pivoted at 22 upon the frame a, and provided with a spring, 23, tending to tn rn it so as to bring the said projection 21 into the said notch 20, where it looks the motor and prevents the shaft h and disk 9 from rotating.

A starting-key (shown as a rod, l, mounted in suitable guides, 24, on the frame-work) is provided at one end with a button, m, while its other end is in position to engage the end of the stop-lever It, so that when the button 111. is pressed by the operator, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the stop-lever 7c is turned on its pivot to disengage the stop-disk j and permit the motor to turn the shaft h and disk g thereon. When the stop-lever 7c is thus turned a small projection, 25, upon the side thereof is brought in line with a corresponding projection, 26, on the rear. face of the toothed disk g, located just above the notch 20 in the disk j, so that when the latter disk is released the shaft h is at first permitted to turn only far enough to bring the notch 20 beyond the range of the projection 21, and when the button or starting-key Zis released by the operator the lever h is drawn back by the spring 23 until the projection 21 rests upon the unnotched portion of the periphery of the disk j, this movement being suiiicient to disengage the projection 25 from the one 26 and permit the shaft h and connected parts to rotate, as will be readily understood by referring to Fig. 4.

The rod 1 is provided with a flange or washer, 27, which, when the key or button m is depressed, as last described, engages the end 28 of the circuit-closer d, disconnecting it from the metal stop I) and bringing it, through the rod 1 and its metallic guides 24, into electrical connection with the frame-work of the machine and the binding-post 2, thus sending a positive impulse to the line in the act of depressing the rod 1 to disengage the lever from the notch 20 and release the actuating-disk g. When the key m is released by the operator it is moved back to its normal position by the spring at and the circuit-closer d permitted to return to its normal position, in contact with the metal stop I), in the same operation that disengages the projection 25 of the lever it from the projection 26 on the disk g, to permit the latter to rotate, this taking place before a tooth of the actuating-disk g has reached the'arm c of the circuit-closer c, which normally rests in the space between twoteeth, as shown in Fig. 1,

while the disk j is engaged by the lever is or correspond with the different stations on the line. These stop-points are shown as small holes passing through both the dial and the disk 9, and provided with stops, which are shown as pins 1", longitudinally movable in the said holes, their movement being limited by small pins 29, which engage the front face of the toothed disk 9 or the rear face of the dial 0, as the case may be. When the stop-pins are in their forward position, with the pin 29 rest ing against the rear face of the dial 0, they will meet with no obstruction as they travel round with the said dial 0 and toothed disk 9 in the rotation of the shaft h; but when one of the said stop-pins r is pushed in, so that the pin 29 engages the front face of the toothed disk 9, it will, in the rotation of the said disk, come in contact with the inclined portion 30 of the foot d of the circuit-closer d, and the motor t will rotate the shaft h with sufficient power to cause the said pin r, in pressing upon the said incline 30, to turn the circuit-closer d on its pivot, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and disconnect it from the metal stop I), after which the said pin r and disk 9 and dial 0 will be positively stopped. This takes place just after the tooth of the disk 9 corresponding to the said stop-pin has passed and actuated the circuit-closer c, the parts being shown in this position in Fig. 3. The arm 0 now rests in a space between the teeth of the disk g, the circuit-closer 0 being thus disconnected from the frame a and positive pole of the battery and connected with'the stop b and negative pole, which is thus grounded. The stop-pin 1' is of metal and in metallic connection with disk g, frame a, and positive pole of the battery, so that when the instrument is thus stopped the battery is connected with its positive pole to the line, and the vibrating bell of the proper signal apparatus will be set in operation.

It will be seen, referring to Fig. 1, that the numbers of the stop-points p are in the reverse order to the direction of rotation of the disk g, and that the point numbered 1 corresponds to the first tooth of the said disk that meets the arm 0 when the disk is started by disengagement of the stop -lever 70, so that by pressin g in the stoppin 1' corresponding to any given number--as, for instance, No. 4--and then depressing the starting-key Z and releasing it, the instrument will automatically operate to cause one positive followed by four negative and another positive impulse to be sent to the line, to thus ioperate the signal at station 4. After the said signal has been left in operation a sufficient length of time the stop-pin r is drawn forward out of engagement with the arm d, when the disk g is free to complete its revolution until it is again stopped by the lever 70, thus sending a series of impulses, which, acting upon the controlling devices of the signals at the different stations, will move them around to their common starting-point.

The number of teeth in the disk 9 is preferably two or three greater than that of the teeth or stops in the controlling devices of the different signals, so that if any of them should skip a movement it would be brought up into unison with the others by the action of the extra teeth of the disk g. The stop points and pins 1 corresponding to these extra teeth are not numbered on the dial and might be omitted.

It is obvious that the construction of the apparatus could be greatly modified without departing from my invention.

Instead of using a series of stop-pins located in the different stop-points p, a single pin might be employed, which would be inserted at the desired point in proper position to engage, operate, and be stopped byfthe circuit-closer d. In this case the numbers of the stations might be marked on the disk 9 and the independent dial 0 be dispensed with.

It is obvious that by a slight modification this apparatus could be made to operate any of the numerous variety of individual signas controlled by a step-by-step movement.

The circuit-closers may be arranged to send impulses of any given difference in character as, for example, difference in strength-the essential feature of the invention being that the apparatus will cause any desired number of electric impulses to besent over a circuit with perfect uniformity, and will precede or follow them, if need be, by an impulse of different character; or, as herein shown, a single impulse may be followed by the definite number of impulses of different character, and that followed by still another change in the character of the impulse, the latter being either like or different from the first impulse, as it is obvious that the station-stops may operate operating apparatus, it consisting of the following elements in combination, namely: one or more circuit-closers, the motor and actuating device provided with teeth to operate one of the said circuit-closers, and with a series of corresponding stop-points, and the station-stop to automatically arrest the movement of the said actuating device at any predetermined one of the said points after it has operated the circuit-closer any desired number of times, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The circuit-controllers and the motor and actuating-disk and stop therefor, combined with the starting-key, arranged as described, to operate one of the said circuit-controllers in the movement by which it releases the actuating-disk, to permit said disk to operate the other circuit-closer, whereby a single electric impulse, followed by a series of impulses of different character, may be produced, substantially as described.

3. The circuit-controllers and actuating-disk provided with a series of teeth to operate one of the said circuit-controllers and with a series of stop-points corresponding to the said teeth, combined with the station-stop adapted to engage and operate the other of the said circuitclosers, and at the same time arrest the movement of the said disk at any desired one of the said stop-points, whereby any desired number of similar electric im pulses, followed by a single one of different character, may be produced, substantially as described.

The stop-disk and the stop-lever to engage it, and the projection 26, or engaging-point, movable with the said disk and properly located to be engaged by the said lever just after it has disengaged the said disk, combined with the starting-key and circuit-closer operated thereby, whereby the said disk and connected parts are prevented from rotating freely until the said circuit-closer has been operated to impart and terminate an electric impulse by the direct and return movement of the said key, substantially as described.

5. The two circuit-closers, connected in the line-circuit, and the stop therefor, connected with one pole of the battery and insulated from the frame-work of the machine, which is connected with the other pole of the batter combined with the actuating device in electrical connection with the frame-work, and adapted in its movement to engage one of the said circuit-closers and disconnect it from the said stop, and the starting-key and station-stops, also in metallic connection with the frame-work, adapted to engage the other of the said circuitelosers and disconnect it from the said stop only when the first-mentioned one is in connection with said stop and disconnected from the actuating device and frame-work, substantially as described.

6. The actuating-disk and dial connected therewith, provided with station stop-points, formed as holes or sockets, and the stop-pins movable therein, and provided with pins located between the said disk and dial, to limit.

the movement of the said stop-pins, combined with the circuit-closer adapted to be engaged and operated by and arrest the said stop-pins when in one position, but notin the other, substantially as described.

7. The actuating-disk and station stop-pin carried thereby, combined with the circuiteloser provided with an inclined portion, to be engaged by the said stop-pin .to operate the said circuit-closer and arrest the said pin and disk, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signedm y name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. DAY. Witnesses:

J 0s. 1?. LWERMORE, W. H. SIGSTON. 

